22nd May 2026 – Speech Day Address

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, mums and dads, mums and dads of mums and dads, and all those sitting here in celebration of a loved one and in celebration of education, 

I am delighted and feel a huge sense of privilege and responsibility to stand here in front of you today as the tenth Head of Westonbirt School. I stand here because of the incredible work done by all that have come before me in nurturing the existence, growth and flourishing of this wonderful school and the pupils within it. In the almost century of education and educating, its various custodians have experienced both joy and sadness, both luck and challenge; they have overseen and adapted to change imposed by circumstances, instigated by necessity and inspired by ambition. They have stood in these magnificent grounds feeling, I suspect like me, a sense of awe at the place they have come to inherit and look after; a place so ethereally beautiful as to be scarcely believed that it is the site of a school. I stand here, some 5 months into my tenure, holding something incredibly precious to so many, feeling both inspired and a little daunted by the prospect of nurturing its present and securing its future. This is no easy feat, and looking out today at some 1000 faces looking back at me, representing the many also that are not here but who nevertheless form the wide and invested network of this community, I marvel at the size of the task, the complexity of it and the need to live up to the huge amount of trust placed in me. It is my sincere hope that I will not let down you or the future generations of the school who will come to love this place and find their home and themselves in it. 

So, what to say and where to begin? I guess I will start with this event itself. I have lived through many a speech day across many schools, formal and informal; I have taken bets on the length of the Head’s speech, I have been blown away by inspiring speakers and incredible achievements of some of the prize winners, I have observed the carefully curated traditions and thought ridiculous some that have seemed tone deaf or lacking a sense of purpose. However, the one thing that has always stood out to me is the incredible power of a community coming together to celebrate itself, its history and the people within it. The day is not really about the prize winners, though we are incredibly proud of all of them, but should be about the values and virtues that they model for all of us. It is important that every child in this school knows that they are uniquely special and important and whether you have received a prize today, or not, that your value, your worth to the school, to your teachers, to your friends, to your families is immeasurable and total. For the people you mean something to, whom you have done something for, you are irreplaceable. And for the many whose lives you touch through your actions and words, be conscious that they may carry that moment with them long beyond this time and place; and when they think of you let it be because of the way you lifted them up, made them smile and made them feel seen. The prizes awarded today will be slightly different to reflect this alongside some of the more traditional prizes we have sought to find explanation for and will share some of those with you as we go. 

The speakers are an interesting choice always too and whilst I will not comment on those I have invested in or endured, I will say this; there are many among us who live remarkable lives that we know nothing about. And whilst some have sailed around the world, gone to the Moon, written beautiful things, had a life of incredible celebrity success, the reason to invite anyone to speak to you all is because I want you to feel inspired and reassured that you too are capable of and should aspire to a remarkable life. And for me, remarkable lives are those that are lived authentically, struggled through at times, that are imperfect, in which joy is found in the beauty of the ordinary and in a sense of purpose. We are all human beings, made of the same stuff, with our own unique gifts to share and a limited time in which to enjoy and make the most of being alive, and the people I want to ask you to listen to, are those who have made this journey their own. So today, as I intend to be the case every year, it will be someone from our own extended community who I will ask to come and speak to you, and I am delighted that this year that person is Mrs Butterfield. Incredibly creative, effusively positive and disarmingly humble given her life before teaching and her ongoing pursuit of the story within her, I know you will marvel at her journey and reflections as much as I have done in getting to know her. 

I am a great believer in facing things square on and seeing them as they are. Integrity and authenticity in the way that I speak with you, individually and collectively, I believe to be a necessary cornerstone of my role. Five short months in, there are still many of you I have not yet had the pleasure of a hearty conversation with that will connect us, I have not yet understood exactly what drives you or what your dreams and hopes are.  But I want to, and I know how precious and important that conversation will be to you and to me, and to the school. And whilst I neither endeavour nor aspire to have perfect consensus on the decisions that as Head I will make daily, it is also important in the meantime that you understand my rationale, my purpose, my underlying principles and ultimately my fallibility. By sharing a little of myself with you I hope it will help to contextualise the decisions you will see, to question the veracity of narratives that are not my own and that in so doing it will help to reassure you that whilst my ability to foresee the future is imperfect, my resolve to do the very best by the children at this school now and into the future is unshakeable and fundamental. 

So why am I here and what are my ambitions and hopes for the children and young people in this room? Quite simply, it is to nurture them, alongside those who love them, to an assured adulthood and a life lived with purpose, joy and fulfilment.  This is neither surprising nor groundbreaking, but it is important and I believe it is something that needs to be taught not through direct instruction necessarily, but through the experiences pupils have whilst at the school. Fundamentally, children are not here to just achieve results, just to play sports, just to try out lots of different activities, just to learn about relationships and how to navigate societal situations and emerging technological pressures. They are not here to learn about AI, they are not here to learn maths even. They are not here to listen to a variety of external speakers, to learn how to wear uniform correctly, to learn how to make and maintain friendship or to stand on stage and perform. They are here to grow up successfully, full of confidence in who they are and what they believe in, to establish an enduring sense of self-worth and to become the very best version of who they could be as they set off on the foothills of adulthood. But all of the experiences listed above, and many many more besides, will be what shapes their school journey and how well and how deeply they grow and develop over the precious years they have with us. 

My role within this, alongside my team of committed teachers, senior leaders and ultimately my colleagues at Wishford, is to design, curate and manage a journey for each child that engages and inspires. A journey in which choice comes with responsibility, success comes as a result of challenge, and independence of spirit and thought comes from a profound understanding of what binds rather than divides us. Underlining it all is the importance of living and investing in all the communities where we can be more than the sum of our parts. For me, this is as much about culture as it is about the specific content of any academic or pastoral course. A culture that holds at its heart the tenets of respect for others, for ourselves and for the natural world around us and in which we endeavour to act with integrity and kindness. In preparing for September and looking ahead to the years to come my aim is to remove any barriers to success and provide the greatest breadth of opportunity and experience for every child. I am passionate about intellectual enquiry, physical literacy, self confidence that comes from having your voice heard and understood, freedom of expression that comes from creative endeavour, self reflection as a fundamental part of growth and the opportunity to approach solutions to real world problems and understand that perfection is impossible, failure is a stepping stone to success and that the skills associated with effective team work build great leaders. There should be time in the curriculum to grow a sense of self understanding, responsible self care and to grow a love and profound respect for the natural world that sustains us. The world beyond our doors is a fast-changing place and we have both a responsibility to understand how those changes affect us but to also resolutely hold onto the values and principles that have for generations underpinned a great education. We will do this most effectively together and I look to those of you about to depart and to our parents and wider community to share your experiences and perceptions and provide guidance and advice so that we are the very best of what we could be for our children.  

And with that I look to our Year 13 cohort of leavers. Each a credit to themselves and to their loved ones. They have successfully navigated the last 14 years of formal education and it is probably hard to understand how in what feels like the blink of an eye they have become the beautiful young men and women that sit here with us today, whilst still at the core of them retaining the spirit their parents would recognise as the little person who folded so neatly and completely into their embrace. Whilst this is not a cohort that I have had the pleasure of seeing grow up, I can attest to their quality as young adults. On a recent trip to Whatley Manor to enjoy a workshop led by the Michelin starred Ricki Weston, what stood out to me was the way in which members of the Leiths cohort engaged with each other, embraced the novel opportunity, the intelligent questions they asked and the kindness with which they included me. Equally, I have been enormously inspired by members of the Year 13 cohort who have taken on official and unofficial leadership positions in motivating and supporting younger pupils, demonstrating kindness, patience and positivity, whether in the stunning Beauty and the Beast musical, the heartwarming Scholars’ recital evening, the fabulous Dance Show or the absolutely magical 80s night. Sport is at the heart of Westonbirt’s identity and the first teams I have had the pleasure of watching since arriving in Lacrosse, Hockey and Cricket amongst others exemplify the values of camaraderie, determination and commitment led by those at the top of our school. It was such a pleasure and privilege to be part of an evening that saw so many of our sportsmen and women recognised for their endeavours, their dedication and their perseverance at the recent senior sports awards. A special mention of course must also go to the outgoing Study One. Whether they have perceived it or not, their guidance and advice has been invaluable to me personally in getting to know the school from my very first days. They have contributed significantly to their respective areas of responsibility, shaping the successes and most memorable moments of this year. Amongst them, the formidable school captains, Digby and Daisy, each a notable role model in their own right and from whom you will have the pleasure of hearing shortly. They were ably supported by Thomas and Sophie, who have sought no limelight and yet undertaken a huge amount behind the scenes. And finally, a special mention must go to Willa, who has been a proud voice of the Sixth Form and has done such a huge amount to make this evening’s Leavers’ Ball such an incredibly special event. 

What stands out to me most about our outgoing Study One was the warmth of spirit with which they reviewed the application videos of the Year 12s who have put themselves forward to take on that mantle. They were effusive and generous in their praise, and so incredibly humble as they reflected on what the new cohort might bring. It made me so incredibly proud to be part of such a process. And with this in mind, I am delighted to introduce to you our new cohort of Study One. They all possess admirable personal qualities and have demonstrated over the course of this year their ability to be fantastic role models for their peers. 

For all those whose names were not called but who demonstrated courage and vulnerability to put themselves forward there is a huge recognition too and you should look out for their input and impact as they embark upon projects and roles that they believe will make a difference to all of us. 

One of the things that attracted me to Westonbirt aside from the warmth of the welcome from Natasha and the members of the community that I came across, was the wealth of opportunities beyond the curriculum for our children. The trips are fantastic with the Business trip to Finland and the Northern Lights planned for next March sitting alongside the World Challenge trip to Malaysia and the Geography trip to beautiful Iceland being amongst my favourites. The co-curricular clubs are thriving here and the opportunity for children to take their skills beyond the walls of the school seemingly endless. Highly commended in the ISA Dance competition, holding our own in the National Schools Lacrosse, public performance and mesmerising solos at the Midsomerset festival, the thrill of being part of the NSEA at Rectory Farm for our riders, First Lego League national competition, CCF flying lessons and Bluebell’s flawless performance in the ISA Arts Musical Theatre competition; they are all examples of the rich tapestry of opportunities that our children have the fortune to embrace. Overlaying all of this are the many totally heartwarming occasions created for pupils to socialise and enjoy each other’s company, be that the Last Supper, or the Year 7 & 8 Ceilidh, the Year 11 post mock party and the upcoming Leavers’ Ball; this is a school that knows the value of letting your hair down and the value of good friendships and joyful company.  

Of course, none of this would be possible without the fierce dedication and love of our staff. There are few places where such richness and joy exists so naturally and it is supported by the people in this room who give of their time and themselves generously. It is important to note that this is done alongside their day job which they dedicate to the care, inspiration and teaching of our pupils. They provide safe spaces and listening ears, they are the chasers and the champions, they believe in children even when they have struggled to believe in themselves. Some of them are the reason why some children believe that they can overcome the challenges in front of them. I think it is important that we take this opportunity to thank them for all that they have done and will continue to do. And whilst we say thank you, let us not forget the operational staff who keep the school ticking along and ensure that you are fed, warm, comfortable and safe; it is easy to underestimate the amount that they do but it is safe to say that there are many more of them than teachers and each one is critical in preserving the beauty, safety and smooth running of this expansive site. 

Finally, it would be remiss of me to not acknowledge the incredibly important contribution that Mr Sestaret has made over the course of the last 3 years. For pupils and staff he is an inspiration. A man of incredible strength and vision, a huge depth hides under the gentleness of his exterior and it would be hard not to be in awe of him, not just because of what he has achieved but all that he stands for. The school owes him a huge debt of gratitude for all that he has done for sport at the school and for the teacher and colleague that he has been. He will be terribly missed but his legacy will live on. We have decided to create an award in his honour to be awarded from next year at Speech Day recognising sportsmanship and the qualities that Nic espouses with no demand for fanfare or recognition. Thank you Mr Sestaret on behalf of every child whose life you have touched. 

All that remains for me to say is a heartfelt thank you from me to every single person in this room. Becoming a Head and moving my entire family hundreds of miles has been an adventure and a risk. Ultimately, we have stepped into the unknown in the hope that a warm and generous community will catch us and welcome us. We have not been disappointed, and I marvel at the good fortune we have had in finding a new community to belong to and love. I am incredibly grateful for your support of me, for your honesty and for your patience. No matter what the years to come have in store, I will always remember this beginning and the magic I felt as the heart of your world was handed to me to look after. Thank you.